


Twilight Omen

by midweekrobins



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, I'll update as i go lol, Incubus Shu, M/M, and some fairies and vampires and stuff, human mika
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-13
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-31 08:25:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10895484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midweekrobins/pseuds/midweekrobins
Summary: Mika was raised around magic folk, that's nothing new to him. But he's never met anyone like the incubus Shu, who rejects his own existence, and for the first time, Mika feels like he has a purpose in life.





	1. Prologue

“This is a damn cursed child, he ain’t no son of mine.”  
“Look at his eyes, those’re the eyes of one marked by misfortune.”  
“I refuse to let this child bring any more bad luck to this family.”

The child was too young to understand what was happening. Barely five years old, he mostly registered the angry tone in the adults’ voices and that they were talking about him.

“But what will we do with him? It’s a disgrace to have him here, but we’d be more disgraced if we just threw him out.” There was a short silence as they pondered this.

“We’ll say the fae took him,” his father offered. “Leave him by the woods, maybe they actually will. It’s not unheard of, y’now, and he’d surely fit in better with ‘em anyway,” he scoffed. 

His mother pondered this idea. “Yes… I think that would be best for everyone.” His aunt and uncle nodded in agreement. 

“I’ll take him out there,” his uncle offered. “That way, if anyone sees us, they’re less likely to think yer abandonin’ him.”

“Ah, I really appreciate that,” his mother smiled gratefully. Her smile turned into a grimace as she looked back at the child. “I just want to put this whole… incident behind me.”

“Don’t worry, dear,” his father put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. “Soon enough it will be like he… it never happened to us.” 

His uncle walked over him, tight-lipped. “Let’s go, Mika, we’re gonna go for a walk.”

Mika didn’t understand, but he had a bad feeling and started to cry. “Oh, for goodness sake. Just get him out of here,” his mother rolled her eyes. Mika clutched onto the stuffed rabbit he was holding like it would come to life and teach his family to love him. “Make sure you take him far enough that he won’t somehow come back.” 

His uncle put a blanket on him and picked him up. “Now, don’t go making a fuss. You’ve caused us enough trouble already.”

Mika’s eyes burned. “Mama,” he cried out as his uncle carried him from the house. His mother’s shoulders tensed, but she didn’t turn around to face him. He felt his tears and snot drip onto his uncle’s shirt as they exited the small village through a back path and hiked up towards the edge of the forest. By the time they reached the destination, the village was far behind them -- perhaps less than a mile, but to a child as small as him it was a world away. 

His uncle set him down with a sigh. “Now look,” he began awkwardly, “No one’s happy that we have to do this. But it’s for the greater good that ya don’t come back. Yer nothin’ but trouble to your family, y’know, it’s not our fault you were born with a demon’s mark. Anyway, don’t all little boys dream of running away ‘n living in the woods?” Mika stared at him, trembling. “Agh, whatever, I tried. Good luck, kid. I hope we never see ya again.” It was a warm day, but he wrapped the blanket around Mika, and then, as an afterthought, took off his hat and placed it on Mika’s head. 

“Now, don’t be followin’ me back, y’hear?” He stood up, and without another word, began swiftly walking in the direction they had just come. 

Mika stared after him, hugging his rabbit and sniffling. He sat down in the grass, wondering what to do next. He was always told the woods were full of dangerous creatures that liked to eat little kids like him, but the stories never really scared him until now as he peered into the dark, vast expanse of trees. His fears doubled as a bush rustled he made out the distinct sounds of something living emerging. 

A tall, radiant form emerged from the shadows of the woods. Mika gaped up at the beautiful person who approached him, her long blonde hair and violet eyes practically glowing. “Oh my, it seems you’ve been abandoned,” she commented. “Do you have anywhere to go?” Mika shook his head, fearful of this stranger who was more beautiful than any adult he’d ever seen. “Ah, what wonderful eyes you have,” she put her finger under his chin and raised his head so she could look at him. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were sent here just for me. I imagine you’ll grow up quite beautiful. Would you like to come live with me? You’ll be my servant, but at least you’ll have somewhere to live.”

Mika nodded and the woman sighed. “Can you talk, or are you just pretty? What’s your name, child?”

“M-Mika, miss,” he replied. “Mika Kagehira.”

“Alright, Mika, let’s go. You shall rest tonight and begin work tomorrow.” Mika nodded and scrambled after her as she began to walk back into the woods. “Don’t get lost, now. Not everyone in this forest is as kind as me.”


	2. Chapter 2

“I can’t, Naru-chan, I told ya, I gotta finish my work!”

“I’ll help you finish! Please, Mika-chan, I haven’t wanted anything this badly since like…. Last week!”

Mika sighed and scratched his head. He still had to scrub the floors, wash the laundry, and go to the market, and he doubted Yui would approve of him getting his friend to help him, but Arashi clearly wanted Mika to come with him to the annual moonlight festival, and Mika wasn’t too good at saying no to him. “Nngh…. I guess as long as I finish all my work there’s no problem…” he relented.

Arashi let out a squeal. “I knew I could count on you, Mika-chan! We’re gonna have so much fun!” He wrapped Mika in a hug and squeezed him with way too much strength for someone with such a delicate beauty to him. 

“I can’t… go with ya…. If ya suffocate me!” Mika gasped, their cheeks pressed together. Arashi laughed and released him. 

“Okay, what can I do to help you finish faster?” Mika pondered this for a minute; there was plenty to do, but not much he could picture Arashi doing without getting dirty or breaking a nail. 

“Could ya… maybe sweep the floors while I do laundry?” he proposed.

“Sounds like a plan!” Arashi winked and grabbed the broom. 

“Ah, and Naru-chan, no magic! Yui-san’ll know for sure if ya do!” Arashi pouted but didn’t object. It might be more efficient to do housework with magic, but the fae community had strict guidelines about what was permitted and what was not in regards to magic use, which was why some higher-ups like Yui had servants like Mika. At the moment, there were only two other humans in the village, both serving other families, but Mika wasn’t really close to either of them since they were all busy with their own work and their own masters. 

Mika was really only close with Arashi; for whatever reason, the beautiful fae boy had taken an interest in him, and (once Mika stopped being terrified of him) they’d been friends ever since. Most humans would probably hate the restrictions and hard work that came with his position, but Mika didn’t mind; he probably would have died if Yui hadn’t taken him in, after all. Once he turned 19, his debt would be repaid and he’d be free to stay and continue working or go back to the human world. But Mika had no desire to leave the village; the only thing he knew about humans anymore was that they had abandoned him. 

Mika hummed a song to himself as he set about washing their clothes. He made sure to scrub as hard as he could to get them clean without damaging the cloth. Sighing, he wondered how to approach Yui with the idea of him going to the moonlight festival with Arashi. It’s not like she would say no and demand that he stay in the house, but he was always worried about seeming disrespectful or overstepping his boundaries, even after all this time. Logically, he knew she would be fine with it as long as his work was done and he didn’t cause any trouble, but asking anything from her made him feel like he was being ungrateful. 

His thoughts were interrupted by a light flick on his forehead. Blinking, he looked up to see Arashi’s face glaring at him from across the wash basin. “Hellooo? Mika-chan, are you there? You’ve been washing that shirt for like, twenty minutes. I’m already done sweeping, you know, give me something else to do!” Arashi suddenly gasped, like he just had an epiphany. “Wait! Even more important, I have to find you something to wear! You’re smaller than me, but I’m sure I have something cute that will fit you..” 

“Ehh, I dunno… I think these clothes’re better suited for someone like me…” Mika protested. Now he was really worried about overstepping his boundaries.

Arashi just scoffed. “Are you kidding? I mean, I get that it’s like, good for housework and stuff, but Mika-chan, you’re waaay too pretty to not dress nicely at least sometimes… honestly, I’m so jealous of how naturally cute you are, it’s practically a crime that you wear rags all the time.”

“They’re not rags!” Mika argued. His clothes weren’t anything special, but they were clean and in good condition, and they were comfortable to work in. Why would a servant need clothes as extravagant as what the fae wore?

“Okay, okay, they’re not rags,” Arashi rolled his eyes, “but I’m still not letting you wear them to the festival. I’m gonna go pick out your outfit, then I’ll be back to help you finish up! You’ll thank me, I promise!” Before Mika could say anything else, Arashi was gone off in the direction of his house. 

Honestly, Mika wasn’t sure why he was so reluctant about the moonlight festival. He had only been once before when he was young, and every year since, he had been too busy with work or caught up with something else. He remembered the one time he went as a magical and festive night, however; the one night when the fae were allowed to use their magic with few restrictions without worrying about the attention it would draw. Most of the time, frequent use of magic was quick to shake the balance of the forest and draw attention of not just other magical creatures, but humans as well. But for just one night a year, the community leaders amplified the barriers so that they could engage in magical festivities without fearing for their safety. 

Mika realized he really did want to go. The idea of the floating lanterns and the entire town illuminated with a magical atmosphere was enticing. But the anxiety in his stomach was still there, for whatever reason. With a huff, he pushed the worried thoughts out of his mind and resolved to finish all of his work without a single mistake so that he could go and not stress about it. He set to work hanging up the now-clean clothes and moved on to the next task on his list. 

\---

“Mika-chan, I’m back!”

Arashi burst into Yui’s house only to find Mika slumped against the wall, out of breath. “Eh, Mika-chan, are you okay?” He started to walk over, but Mika burst back to life.

“Nnah, be careful where ya step! I just super-scrubbed all the floors!” 

“Ah, whoops, gotcha. Umm, I know I was gone a while, but is there anything else I can do, or are you done?” 

“Mmm, I think I’m done? Ugh, ’m so tired though, just wanna sleep…” Mika slumped back against the wall, closing his eyes.

“No, no! The sun is about to set, it’s time to start getting ready!” Arashi cheerfully held up a bag that he had brought. “Go clean yourself up real quick, then I’ll show you what I have for you!” Groaning, Mika complied, forcing himself up to go and wash the dirt and grime off his body. 

Freshly cleaned off, he reconvened with Arashi where he had left him, only to find him chatting with Yui, who had apparently just returned.

“Ah, Mika-chan, I was just telling Yui-san how excited I am for you to come to the festival with me!” He winked. 

“Is… that alright, Yui-san? I finished all my work, ‘course,” he asked tentatively. 

“If your work is all done then I don’t see why not, so long as you don’t make any trouble,” she nodded. Arashi let out a cheer and dragged Mika over to wear he had his clothes laid out before Mika could even say thank you. 

“Now, I knew you probably didn’t want anything too fancy, so I thought this would be perfect! Simple but elegant~” He turned around to put on his own outfit while Mika slipped on the clothes that were probably worth more than his entire wardrobe put together. A soft, loose-fitting tunic, black with subtle silver designs embellished crawling up from the bottom and tied around the waist, hung over black pants that were just snug enough to feel more like leggings. He tugged at his sleeved self-consciously while Arashi gushed over him.

“I knew it, I’m a genius! Mika-chan, you look so gorgeous, why, if I wasn’t saving myself for Kunugi-san, I’d make you my pretty human husband right now!”

“Nghh, Naru-chan, yer embarrassin’ me…” Mika whined. “I don’t look anywhere near as pretty as you do.”

Arashi twirled in his long, decorative purple robes. “I know I’m gorgeous, but seriously, you look amazing! All the fae boys and girls are gonna be aaallllll over you.” He sighed. “I don’t know if I should tell them you’re mine or be your wingman!” 

Mika blushed. He should be used to Arashi’s protectiveness by now, but it never failed to throw him off when Arashi talked about him so nicely like that. “You know humans aren’t supposed to be… like that… with fae,” he mumbled. 

“Technicalities, whatever,” Arashi waved him off. “Most of us younger fae think that rule is stupid, so once we become the leaders, it’ll probably go away. Anyway, back to the fun stuff, let me put some makeup on you!”

There was no point in arguing, so Mika allowed Arashi to crouch closely next to him as he pulled over his bag full of various face paints and powders. 

Arashi sighed. “I seriously hate how nice your skin is naturally. And your bone structure. Sooo unfair, you don’t even take advantage of it!” he huffed, dabbing some glitter onto the height of Mika’s cheekbones. Mika didn’t reply, afraid to mess him up, and simply looked away in embarrassment. “Okay, close your eyes.”

Something was lightly brushed onto the top of Mika’s eyelids, and he struggled not to move too much. After a few more minutes of various substances smeared onto him in some form, Arashi exhaled. “Done! Just when I thought you couldn’t get any prettier, I’m way too good at this!” 

Mika hesitantly examined himself in the mirror while Arashi started on his own makeup. The differences were subtle, Arashi hadn’t done anything too crazy to his face, but they were definitely there. His face was more sculpted and shone with glitter, and the mismatched colors of his eyes stood out against the black that surrounded them. His lips were just a tad darker pink than usual, making him look almost doll-like. “Yer right, Naru-chan, yer way too good at this,” he breathed. Arashi laughed.

“Told you so.” 

Arashi was positively glowing, adorned in purple and gold and sparkling from head to toe. He looked beautiful, like a trophy to be won, but dangerous, like no one could win him and escape with their life. The sun had almost set and they were about ready to head out. Music and laughter could already be heard from the town center, where people were finishing setting up their stalls, or walking through early to avoid the crowd. As darkness settled around the woods, the town center remained illuminated by the floating lanterns and the faint glimmer that came from so much magic being used at one time. It was rare to see the fae using magic for trivial things such as cooking their street food to sell, or playing multiple instruments at once, but such was the moonlight festival. 

Mika gaped at the sights as they strolled into the center of all the activity. Everyone was dressed extravagantly, despite it being an outside event. “Ah, Izumi-chan!” Arashi waved. Mika stiffened. Despite having met him plenty of times, he was still terrified of Arashi’s silver-haired friend. Sensing his discomfort, Arashi patted Mika on the head. “I’ll just say hello to him, ‘kay?” He jogged up to Izumi and chatted with him for a moment while Mika hid himself behind the taller boy. 

“Your little pet is still scared of me,” Izumi remarked, peering over Arashi’s shoulder.

“Be nice, Izumi-chan, and he’s not my pet! Who are you here with?” Arashi changed the subject. 

“Still in charge of watching over that brat.” He nodded in the direction of a red-haired fae boy drooling over a sweets booth. “Ugh. So annoying.”

“I feel more bad for Tsukasa-chan, to have to deal with you all the time,” Arashi scolded. “He’s a good boy. Don’t be too hard on him.” Izumi rolled his eyes as Arashi pulled Mika along. They strolled down the line of stalls, taking in the lights and the smells of all the different foods. Arashi stopped them at a booth selling jewelry and insisted on buying them matching bracelets. Mika tried to deny him, but he also knew that it was futile so he relented and put the bracelet on with a smile. 

“Eh?! Ritsu-chan, is that you?” 

Arashi stepped towards a dark form hunched over a picnic table with its head buried in its arms. He poked its head. 

“Hmm? Nacchan? Ah, that’s right, you live here…” Red eyes peered out from under glossy black hair. He yawned, exposing sharp fangs in his mouth. “Fuah, I’m usually awake by now, but travelling with my stupid brother-like thing made me exhausted…” 

“What? Your brother is here too? Is something going on? Not that I’m not happy to see you, of course…” 

Ritsu rubbed his eyes. “Yeah. My brother and his friend dragged me along, they’re in talks with the Tenshouins tomorrow. I’m gonna hang out with Ecchan to piss him off.” His eyes finally rested on Mika. “Oh, is this the human you’ve told me about? He looks tasty~”

“Mika-chan is off-limits!” Arashi put his arm protectively over Mika. “Honestly, you haven’t been around in months, but you vampires never change…” 

“Mikarin, you wouldn’t mind one little sip, would you?” Ritsu’s smile made Mika scoot further behind Arashi. “Anyway, my brother and his friend both dislike crowds, so I doubt you’ll see them, but if you do, tell Anija he’s disgusting for me~” 

Arashi scoffed. “Well, let’s catch up before you leave again. Try not to sleep through the whole festival, Ritsu-chan!” He tousled his black hair before gesturing Mika to keep walking. 

Even though Mika was having fun and enjoying the magic and the atmosphere, he was also starting to get a bit overwhelmed. He was also not too fond of big crowds, and it wasn’t uncommon for humans to be affected when surrounded by large amounts of magic. He was a little bit dizzy, and he found himself holding onto the back of Arashi’s sleeve so that he didn’t lose him in the mass of people. 

Arashi noticed and slowed down. “Are you feeling alright, honey? Here, sit down and rest for a moment.” He led Mika off the main road and sat him down on a bench out of the way. “I’ll grab you some water, you take a sec to relax!” 

“Yer the best, Naru-chan…” Mika mumbled, pulling his knees up to his chest and resting his chin there while he collected himself. Arashi vanished back into the mass of people and light, leaving Mika alone. 

At least, he was alone for a moment. He wasn’t even aware that someone had approached him until they all but collapsed on the bench next to him with a grunt. Mika nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden impact.

“Are… are you alright, sir…?” he asked tentatively. The stranger seemed to also not have realized he was there, because he stiffened and whipped his head up to look at Mika. Violet, slitted eyes framed by close-cropped pink hair felt likey they were piercing into him and the stranger stared at Mika. 

Without warning, the stranger lightly gripped Mika’s chin with his fingers, moving his face up and down and staring at him at different angles. Mika felt himself turning bright red with self-consciousness. “U-um…” 

“Too beautiful to be a human,” he remarked quietly to himself, “but human nonetheless…” 

Mika felt the stranger’s eyes pulling him in, and as soon as he spoke, voice deep but soft and entrancing, he felt himself drawn more and more towards him before he even realized what was happening. 

He didn’t even realize how fuzzy his mind had quickly become under the stranger’s gaze until Arashi’s voice broke through his trance. 

“Mika-chan!”

He jumped back, nearly falling off the bench, and the stranger lowered his hand. Arashi’s eyes were cold in a way that Mika had never seen before. “Please excuse us, Itsuki-san. My Mika-chan is feeling a little bit tired and needs to get back to his master now.” His words were polite, but his tone contained barely-veiled anger as he grabbed Mika’s hand and pulled him away. The cup of water he had been holding was now crushed under his grip, liquid dripping down his arm and onto the ground. 

“Eh? Naru-chan, are you okay? What’s wrong, are ya mad at me? Did I do something?” Mika fretted as he was pulled along. They arrived back on the main road and Arashi exhaled. 

“No, sweetie, you didn’t do anything, but you did scare the daylights out of me back there. That incubus was about to eat you for dinner.” His grip on Mika’s hand hadn’t loosened. 

“That guy… was an incubus? I mean, he was real weird, but… he didn’t seem bad? He called me…” he blushed. “He said I was beautiful.” He thought about how the man, Itsuki’s eyes seemed to bore into him and pull him closer.

“Don’t I tell you that all the time?” Arashi growled. “I leave you alone for two minutes and-” he exhaled.

Mika’s eyes stung. “‘M sorry, Naru-chan, I didn’t mean to make ya mad… I didn’t know who he was, or what was happenin’, I just…”

Guilt immediately flooded Arashi’s expression. “No, no, don’t give me that face…” he pulled Mika into a hug. “I’m not mad, dear, it’s not your fault… Just, you never know with incubi what their intentions are, and I jumped to the worst conclusion.” Mika sniffed. “No crying when you look so pretty with your makeup that I worked so hard on, you hear? I’m sorry, okay, Mika-chan?” Mika nodded, just relieved Arashi wasn’t mad at him. “Okay, the festival is winding down so let’s share a pastry and call it a night!” 

Meanwhile, Shu Itsuki had watched Mika get dragged away by his protective fae friend while being watched by a friend of his own. Rei Sakuma stood next to the bench, amused. 

“What’s this? Has that little crow caught your eye?”

Shu rolled his eyes. “Nonsense. You know I find humans repulsive. That one just… appealed to my aesthetics, I supposed.”

“I worry about you, my friend. It’s not like I can’t relate to your struggle, but you’re the one who scolds me for not feeding enough -- and yet here you are, starving yourself,” Rei sighed. “We both find ourselves disgusted by what keeps us alive, but that doesn’t mean we can allow ourselves to die. Besides, that little human sure didn’t seem to be repulsed by you.” Shu scowled at the smirk Rei was giving him. 

“I refuse to have this vile conversation again. Our situations are completely different, and that human’s existence is so insignificant to me that I’ve already forgotten who we were talking about.” He stood up and began walking away. “Come, let us retire. These masses have drained every ounce of energy I might have had, and we must be well-rested if we are to deal with that horrible Tenshouin tomorrow.”

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first time writing fantasy... plz be gentle


End file.
